My Birthday!!

WOW. Tomorrow I am going to be 30 years old. I cannot even believe that!!!
More to come as I ponder the Next 30 Years....thanks Tim McGraw.

Whats really important?

I thought this was an interesting article that I found in my email. This is something that I have had to deal with in my life. In fact, I am still dealing with it. I am always busy. I feel I always need to be doing something. I need to learn to relax, take time for myself and listen to what others around me are saying. This is a good article to help me remember that.

A Story of Priorities and a JarTips for Squeezing More into Your Life -- By Julie Isphording, former Olympian

The following story is one that’s been circulating for awhile. I believe it holds a very important message regarding appropriately setting priorities in our lives.A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full.They agreed that it was full.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full.They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar.

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining “small stuff” and material possessions.If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, write your grandmother a letter. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.

Comment of Previous Post

I have been reading the book, Four Pillars of a man's Heart written by Stu Weber. Stu Weber describes the King, Warrior, Mentor, and Friend roles which a man plays in his family and community. It states how essential it is for a man to have all pillars in balance. Even if one is tilted, there can be turmoil in a family. It is the man which is the head and who is responsible for those in his charge. It was by one man that sin entered the world (even though he did not sin first). Adam was responsible for the mistakes of himself and Eve. His pillars were out of balance. For Decades now, men have been missing the boat in Western culture which has led to the trend noted in the article being discussed.

Now, at first glance, the previous article makes me mad at the airline. However, as a gender(worldwide), there have been many failings which led the airline to take such a stance. It saddens me that this is occurring, but it also invigorates me. In my quiver(Ryan, Samuel, Randy), I have the wonderful honor of helping to change this trend. Equipping them in Christ can change the world. As noted above, by one man, sin entered this world. By one Man, it was washed away(Christ). My boys will change this world both by the decisions they make and don't make. Every action or inaction creates a ripple. By God's grace, I will teach them to be kings, warriors, mentors, and friends. In God's balance, the pillars in their lives' will equip their family and communities to reverse the trend that men are not to be trusted. That starts with ME. I must model the 4 pillars an keep them in balance. I must learn from my KING and teacher. It starts from the top and works down. That is my challenge, that is my duty.

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Segregating Children From Men????

Link to a disturbing trend

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Pulling an All-Nighter!

Check out my Ebay auction for the new Nintendo Wii........

Link

A Firebug's Dream!

Check this link out!!

The Looping Lizard!

WOW! Lance Stillings, the boys' cousin gave the boys a brand-new Kinex looping lizard set. We had so much fun putting this together. We started on Sunday night and finished early Tuesday morning. Now, I am not one to just pull this out my head and create. I can follow instructions though, and man was it worth it. The smile on their faces was priceless. They are still playing with it, after 30 minutes now. It is so much fun to sit down and construct something with one's kids. They learned about gravity, centrifugal force, and timing and had a blast doing it. Awesome fun. Thanks Lance!

Just enough...or all you've got?

I recieved this email from a friend of mine. I love these kind of simple truths. Check out the video. Ask yourself, "Am I giving all I can, or just enough to get buy?" That is what I asked myself after watching the video.

www.212movie.com

Have a great day.

Sam's Tribute

Randa and I are homeschooling our oldest son right now. I will be honest; I was not completely sold on the idea. I saw value and believed it was the right avenue for our child, but was still a skeptic.

My son, Sam, loves to sit with mommy and Ryan during the lessons, and as a result, he learns just as much as his older brother, but in a different way. Randa and the boys have been studying the Egyptians. When I come home, Ryan and Sam are teaching me facts that I never knew about the culture and way of life. Sam is a determined little boy and together we like to build marble ramps, houses and other items with legos or wooden blocks. He especially likes to build "stuff" that he is learning. The application of creativity and hands on learning really help him grasp concepts and remember what has been taught.

I call this picture, Sam's Tribute to 'Aman Ra'. I am learning, that he is one of the Egyptian gods and has many statues and idols built for him. It is cool that we are able to teach the boys about this stuff, but at the same time, impress on them that there is only ONE TRUE God that we worship. They understand this, an actively tell us this when Randa tells me about the morning lesson.

He just sat down one day and used nearly every block we had in the house and said, "Dad, this is just like the Egyptian pyramids, only a little smaller." I am so impressed about what he is learning along with is brother and marvel at the fact that although he is all boy, he still takes time to create something with his own hands.

More pics to come.......................

Whats your Passion?

Good morning again. I wanted to post a new website I recently came across. I enjoy biographies, books on leadership, and personal growth; so I was thrilled to find the webiste Pursue the Passion
As quoted from the website:
The Pursue The Passion Tour is a movement to inspire and instill a passion within students nationwide. It is a special project to encourage the exploration of goals and ambitions, and to pioneer personal development.
I have read a few of the posts and they are interesting. What is your passion?

My Wife has Vision!

About 3 weeks ago, Randa stumbled upon an estate sale and found an amazing array of vintage boy scout memorabilia and lots of other vintage stuff. Well, she had this idea to buy a few things to see how they would sell on eBay. Before this sale, she knew nothing of boy scout memorabilia. She just had this feeling that said, "Buy me!"
Fast forward 2 weeks from the time of purchase. Randa has already made $100 profit still has 5 boxes of memorabilia left. She had a vision for our family and I applaud her. Randa took a chance on something she did not quite understand and it is paying off. She is an enteprenuer at heart and is a wonderful mother, wife, and friend. She is my Proverbs 31 woman and enjoy praising her in the gate.
Tell me, what has your wife, girlfriend, or significant other done to help your finances and how has he/she blessed you by a decision they made?

Broken and Beautiful!

There is a theory in the world of crime and urban revitalization. It is called the Broken Window Theory. It is believed that the mere appearance of laziness of lack of interest in an area can lead to increase theft, violence, and social disharmony; not only at the site of the 'broken window', but also the surrounding areas as well. For more info on this topic, check out The Tipping Point, written by Malcom Gladwell. Anyway, I digress. Most people think that which is broken is ugly, without value, or lacks interest. From the scientists' standpoint; everything tends to a state of disorganization. In other words, a broken window is just following natural laws in place since creation.
I disagree. Why? There is a song...not sure of the title, but, "broken and beautiful" is used in the chorus. It is referring the state when someone is broken before God. They realize that their best thinking got them where they are at and there is nowhere to go. That person understands their place before the creator of the universe and is ready or has already repented.
Now at that moment, broken is not ugly. It is beautiful! It is beautiful because it leads to a state of purity. That which was ugly, is purified by the Creator. When God looks at us, he no longer sees all the broken windows, he sees the clear and perfect state of His Son--Jesus Christ.
Thank you God for fixing my broken windows. Please, keep cleaning them so that when people see me--they see You.

Lets Get it Started

Stand by...I am new to the blogging community and will post frequently. Have a great day and check back often.